Posted by MHK on August 08, 2001 at 14:23:49:
In Reply to: Re: Trust Me Dives posted by DaveJ on August 08, 2001 at 13:11:48:
Posted by DaveJ on August 08, 2001 at 13:11:48:
, but it would also reduce the number of students and active divers.
I disagree on the one hand, but would offer even if you are right, who cares if we have less qualified diver's out there????
My view of many open water divers [ and I'm speaking in generics so certain people on this list please don't nitpick] GENERALLY do not stay with diving post certification because they are not comfortable with their skill level and their comfort level in water.. SO they exercise prudent judgement and decide the sport isn't for them.. SO now what has that accomplished in the grand scheme of making the number of *active* [ however defined] larger???
It's simple it distorts the numbers.. You have taken an interested candidate, you haven't properly prepared them for the rigors of underwater survival so now they believe they tried it, they got instruction from the *best* and that the sport wasn't for them.. So PADI gets it's certification numbers up, but the sport has lost a potential diver because he isn't comfortable...
By supplying quality training, you'll see the drop off rate decrease dramatically.. Of course that means you won't sell so many patches and c-cards and that is why PADI will NEVER tell you this.. This stuff isn't rocket science and given that the marketing department runs the show over there you'll never ever see industry related numbers that support this logic because we all know how to skew polls..
Ken Kurtis, I believe, reported some DAN numbers last week that talked about 8 fatalities in the entire state of California in 1998 ? or 1999?? Please confirm, but more to the point, we are now averaging greater than 1 fatality per month in Southern California alone, notwithstanding Northern California and notwithstanding any fatality that I am not aware of..
Accordingly, from Los Angeles to San Diego we have increased the fatality rate by greater than 50% versus the ENTIRE state just a scant few years ago.. That's atrosish and demands that the *leaders* of the industry, who happen to have their world wide headquaters in that particular geographic area, speak out, not cover up...
In response to these tragic numbers how has PADI responded:
1) They open up the sport to 8 year olds;
2) They advocate certifying 10 year olds;
3) They open up a can of worms that was just about closing, and advance a deep air training program that is completely illogically thrown together;
4) They advance * Discover* technical diving experiences;
and on and on....
I guess collateral damage is acceptable at PADI and perhaps they should invent a body recovery patch next....
Later